CBH to spend $4b on infrastructure over 10 years

The funding equates to an annual investment of between $350 and $450 million each year, which is a significant increase on previous years' network investment.

Over the past five years, CBH has invested more than $1.2b in the network, averaging $240 million per year, with $285.3m the most invested in the 2018/19 financial year.

The increased spending will help CBH to expand and improve current receival, storage and outloading infrastructure in line with its strategy to reach a monthly export capacity of three million tonnes by 2033 or sooner.

CBH chief operations officer Mick Daw said last year's record crop reinforced the need for the co-operative to continue with increased levels of investment in the network, particularly in outloading projects that are critical in generating price value for growers in the first half of the year.

"As the crop size continues to grow, we must invest more to improve our ability to receive the harvest efficiently, sustain current assets, and build infrastructure to increase the tonnes to customer capability of the network," Mr Daw said.

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"Increasing the capacity of our network is critical to maximising the value of growers' grain in international markets, and sustainably creating value for WA growers, both current and future."

Network investment projects for 2023 include site expansions, storage refurbishments, temporary storage builds, accommodation, throughput enhancements, receival equipment upgrades and rapid rail outloading facilities.

Over the past two years alone, CBH has added an extra 5mt of permanent and temporary storage to the network.

That included permanent expansions at Dumbleyung, Shark Lake and Cadoux in time for this year's harvest, as well as temporary storage at more than 25 sites.

CBH chief project delivery officer Sam Gliddon said temporary storage played a significant role in bringing in last year's record crop and will be an important part of the network infrastructure mix moving forward.

"If we look at how much temporary storage has been added to and planned for the network over the past two years, CBH will have increased its entire network storage capacity by over 20 per cent in just 12 months," Mr Gliddon said.

"This is a phenomenal effort, and much needed across all zones.

"Our strategy includes converting many of these temporary storages to permanent specifications in the future."

In addition, CBH is in the process of purchasing new rail rollingstock, and unlocking supply chain capacity in the Kwinana zones by progressing work on the Avon narrow-gauge/standard-gauge transfer facility and working through commercial negotiations for the acquisition of standard gauge locomotives.

Rail investment will be a significant feature of network investment moving forward, in line with the CBH strategy, to increase the logistical performance of the network.

CBH will continue progressing rapid rail outloading and siding projects which has received a contribution from the $200m in funding from State and Federal governments through the Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements (ASCI) program.

Construction on at least two of these rapid rail outloading facilities - Broomehill and Moora - will start in early 2023 and an additional nine rapid rail and siding projects will follow.

As part of that, the co-operative has continued to work through the approvals process with government stakeholders while procuring long lead items for track and outloading facilities, including steel, sleepers, bins and conveyors.

Other large projects slated to take place in FY2023 include expansions at Nyabing and Narngulu, terminal upgrades at Esperance, Albany and Geraldton, and temporary storage at more than 30 sites.